Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1887-05-12
THE CALL OF MOSES.
EXPLANATORY NOTES BY 8. L
cURTlSS, PHI. D., D. D.

Lesson VII of the International Series
Second QUARTER, for Sunday, May Is.
Text of tho Lesson, Ex. iii, IL, 12.
Golden Text, Ex. iv, 12.
Moses never lost the consciousness that he
was q Hebrew Whether he kept up &C
quaintance with his own mother we do not
know. 1t is not improbable. That conscious
ness was reused to the utmost when he saw
his brethren suffering under their burdens
Acting under the impulse of the moment, he
killed the task master who was beating his
brother Hebrew and hid his body in the sand
Ex. ii, II, -. The next day, when he saw
two Hebrews striving together and rebuked
the one who did the wrong. he was alarmed
to hear him say: "Who made thee e prince
and judge over usl Thinkest thou to kill me
as thou hlledst the Egyptianr Revised YER
sion.) The affair became known TO the king,
who sought to kill him Moses therefore
fled. There were two directions which he
might naturally have taken. One was the di-
rect road to Canaan. But this was full Of
danger, for Ranlses II, who is supposed to
have been the king from whom he fed, had
treaty with the Hittites at least which de-
manded the delivering up Of any fugitives
who might seek to escape from Egypt. Moses
therefore, as many years later, took a south
erly route to the land of Midian, which is
commonly supposed to have been situated east
Of the Elanitic Gulf, although the Midian in
tended here must have been in the southern
and eastern part of the Sinaitic peninsula
There through his politeness to the daughters
Of the priest Of indian, who, like the daugh-
ters of the Bedouin Of to-day, were pasturing
f.A AzA Lev rrNf
Jethro.
This experience Of Moses was an important
part of Gods plan Moses needed different
kind of training from that which he had had
at the court of Pharaoh. That training be
was to receive in the awful solitudes of the
wilderness through which he was to conduct
Gods chosen people. At the time he fed
from Egypt they were not ready for deliver
ance. Nor was the time ripe. The most
powerful of the Pharaohs, if we may believe
the concurrent testimony of Egyptian schol-
ars, then sat on the throne The time for the
exodus was to come during the decadence Of
the Egyptian power under Mernephtah Gods
providential leading was thus manifest at
every stage of Moses life.
After long years had elapsed the glorious
reign of King Ramses II came to an end. He
was followed by his thirteenth son, Merneph-
tab. God heard the groaning of his people,
and remembered his covenant with Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob.
THE LESSON.
Moses and His Flock ". 1)-Moses was still
keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro.
1t is probable that if in the enthusiasm Of
early manhood he had thought he could de-
liver his people, he had long since relin-
Quished that hope At God's chosen time he
leads his flock to the back part Of the wilder
ness, to the mountain, which in subsequent
history came to be known as the mountain Of
God, which was then known as Horeb, and in
other passages as Sinai, which Palmer holds
was the same as Jebel Musa
The Burning Bush ". 2-While there the
angel Of Jehovah, who is known in New Test
annent language as the Son Of God, appeared
to him in flame of fire out of the midst Of
the bush. He did not recognize at first who
it was, but be was amazed to see thorn bush
on fire which was not consumed The mani
festation of God by fire is q favorite symbol
in the Old Testament. Perhaps it is difficult
TO be sure of the typical Specification intended
here by the appearance in the bush
Y. s. At first Moses curiosity was simply
aroused. He said II will turn aside and see
this great sight-why the bush Is not con-
sumed"
VS.. 4, s. As he turned he found that it was
not merely q natural manifestation, but God
himself called to him out Of the midst Of the
bush, and bade him take his sandals of his
feet, because the ground on which he was
standing was holy. To uncover the feet was
sign of reverence In the east, and still is to-
day of something the same sort as uncovering
the head with US
v. 6. God then proclaimed himself as the
God of his father" used in q collective sense
of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Moses was
afraid, when he understood that it was God
himself, to look on the thorn bush, partly,
perhaps, from a sense of his Hnworthiness and
partly because he might have felt that he
could not behold God and live.
God Remembers His People Tvs 7-9)-God
had not been unmindful Of his people. Every
blow that had fallen from the lash Of the
Egyptian taskmaster, and every cry that they
had lifted up, bad been marked by him and
had touched his heart
Speaking as a man, so that Moses and his
people might understand him, he says that he
has come down to deliver them from the
hands of the Egyptians and bring them into
good and large country flowing with milk
and honey.
The country Of Palestine, which Is not
much larger than the state Of New Hamp-
ihire, would be a small country to us, but in
comparison with the land of Goshen, only
part of which they occupied, or even Of the
upper part of Egypt itself, which embraces
only the valley of the Nile, which Is not more
than seven miles wide, 1t would seem to be q
wide country. According to the testimony
Of other ancient writers it was 9 very fruit
full country, and might well be spoken of, in
fgurative sense, as flowing with milk and
honey.
The Canaanites-The nations here men,
toned are only q part Of those sometimes
enumerated. We know from modern inves-
LEGATIONS that the Hittites were very power
full people, who resisted Ramses II for years,
and who finally made a treaty Of peace with
him on equal terms The term Canaanites,
which literally means lowlanders, is some
times used Of one people, as here, sometimes as
embracing all the other peoples.
Human Instruments Tvs 10, 1i)-Although
God has infinite power, when he has a work
to do he uses hSnnan instruments This is
the law Of his kingdom. He therefore bids
Moses bring forth the people of Israel out of
Egypt. Moses shrinks from the responsible
ity, like every great soul who in worthy Of
one. Although he may once have felt as
though he might help his people, he no longer
feels the strength or ambition for such a re-
sponsible place His long residence in the
wilderness causes him to shrink from contact
with the proud monarch of Egypt, and it
seemed to him impossible that he should be
able to wrest his people from the powerful
grasp Of such a king.
V. 12. Moses estimate Of his own ability
for such an important mission was correct
Unaided by God he was simply rough shep-
herd of the wilderness, without Influence and
without resources; but when God promised
Certainly l will be with thee, " he had om-
nipotent power at his back, and was equal to
anything.
God promises him as a sign that when he
brings forth the people out Of Egypt they
shall worship God on that mountain.
POINTS TO BE REMEMBERED.
1. When God has a work to be done. the
best training Of the schools Is not sufficient;
men must bo prepared under Gods own
hand.
q The disappointment Of all human hopes
Is sometimes the very means which God
chooses to train his people for eminent use